Arianespace Wins Business
While Customers Await SpaceX Debut (Source: Space News)
The biggest development in the commercial satellite launch market in
the coming months is likely to be the success — or failure — of the new
Falcon-9 v1.1 rocket operated by SpaceX. But Europe’s Arianespace
launch consortium appears to have quietly walked away with most of the
recent contract awards.

Officials from Evry, France-based Arianespace have declined to comment
beyond saying they have been successful of late. The company said it
would be making several announcements the week of Sep. 9 during the
World Satellite Business Week conference organized by Euroconsult.

Despite its low-orbit destination, a successful Falcon-9 v.1.1 Cassiope
launch will trigger SpaceX’s entry into the commercial launch market
for geostationary-orbiting telecommunications satellites, which make up
most of SpaceX’s commercial backlog of more than $1 billion.
Arianespace meanwhile has signed, or is about to sign, contracts for as
many as six geostationary-orbiting telecommunications satellites. (9/6)

SpaceX Being “Extremely
Paranoid” as It Readies for Falcon 9’s California Debut
(Source: Space News)
Building on its experience setting up a space launch complex in
Florida, California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)
is looking to begin operations in its home state this month, with a
debut demonstration flight of an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket.

Privately owned SpaceX planned to conduct a static-test firing of the
rocket’s new Merlin 1D engines the weekend of Sept. 7-8, the last major
hurdle before a launch attempt could be made as early as a week or two
later, founder and chief executive Elon Musk told SpaceNews. At press
time, a NASA manifest had the launch slated for Sept. 14. (9/6)

Wallops Moon Launch a
Boost for Region (Source: DelMarVaNow)
Chincoteague Island and environs have long been known for wild ponies,
for breathtaking stretches of shoreline and for hospitality to
visitors. In 2013, increasingly, they’re becoming known for something
else — as a growing center for space exploration.

The launch of NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer
from the Wallops Flight Facility in Eastern Virginia is but the latest
— and perhaps most prominent — of a growing variety of space flights
originating from the Shore. In the post-shuttle era, it turns out that
Wallops is well-equipped to benefit from the changing nature of space
research and space commerce. This presents a remarkable opportunity not
only for Virginia but for the entire three-state Delmarva region. (9/6)

Chinese-Built Bolivian
Satellite Tested (Source: Xinhua)
The Chinese-built Bolivian satellite Tupac Katari is undergoing testing
in a space simulator to determine whether it can withstand the extreme
temperatures of outer space, the Bolivian Space Agency (BSA) said
Thursday. The testing phase aims to verify the satellite's various
functions and detect any possible malfunction, said Ivan Zambrana, BSA
director and supervisor of the Tupac Katari project. (9/6)

ATK/NASA Investigating
Void Issue in SLS Test Motor Segment (Source:
NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Experts from ATK and NASA are investigating the cause of voids in the
aft segment of the next test motor for the Space Launch System (SLS).
Known as Qualification Motor -1 (QM-1), the original aft segment was
scrapped following the discovery of voids via examinations, only for
its replacement to mirror the problem – possibly caused by processing
and design changes in the motor’s insulation and liner material. (9/5)

Is NASA Too Worried About
Contaminating Mars? (Source: Scientific American)
Does Mars need protection from our microbes? Conventional wisdom says
yes, as does space law—the United Nations Outer Space Treaty prohibits
the contamination of potentially fertile worlds with earthly bacteria.
Yet some researchers disagree: Mars will be just fine on its own, they
say, and the stringent safeguards now in place discourage scientists
from exploring the Red Planet. On missions dedicated to searching for
life, costs “could easily double because of planetary protection
procedures.” (9/6)

Moon Express Taps Lunar
Experts (Source: GLXP)
Moon Express, Inc., a lunar resources company, announced that leading
planetary scientists Dr. Paul Spudis and Dr. Jack Burns have joined the
company to assist its plans to explore the Moon for precious resources.
Dr. Spudis, an outspoken advocate of using lunar resources to develop
the Moon and cislunar space, has joined Moon Express as its Chief
Scientist, a part-time role established in collaboration with the Lunar
and Planetary Institute.

Dr. Jack Burns, Director of the NASA Lunar Science Instituteís Lunar
University Network for Astrophysics Research (LUNAR) and named to
NASAís Advisory Council in 2008, has also joined Moon Express in a
part-time capacity as chair of the companyís Science Advisory Board,
focused on scientific and resource utilization goals and prospects for
Moon Express. (9/5)

Orlando-Based IDEAS
Tapped by Spaceport Sweden for Visitor & Science Center
(Source: IDEAS)
Kiruna, in Swedish Lapland, together with Spaceport Sweden, are proud
to announce the partnering with IDEAS, a world leading innovation
studio, for the development of a Space Visitor & Science Center
in Kiruna, Sweden contributing to a world-class all year round
destination.

Kiruna has rich space heritage and is pioneering efforts to establish
space tourism and manned spaceflight as an emerging industry. As part
of the project, a feasibility and concept study has now been initiated
to develop a world-class attraction in a SpaceVisitor &
ScienceCenter in Kiruna

Orlando-based IDEAS leads a team of companies that will work together
to provide the feasibility and concept study during a three month
initial contract. Other team members include: Integrated Insight, Inc.;
Exline Design and Architecture; Hurricane Communications and
Consulting; and Blackhorse Worldwide. (9/6)

DalBello Headed to OSTP
(Source: Space Policy Online)
Richard DalBello will begin his new job at the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on Sep. 23. His appointment has
been rumored for several weeks. DalBello has a long history of
government and private sector experience in the space business.
Currently he is Vice President of Government Affairs for Intelsat
General. He will be OSTP's Assistant Director, Aeronautics and Space,
the same position he held for four years of the Clinton Administration.
(9/6)

Editorial: Space Launch
System Making Progress Despite Budget Constraints (Source:
Florida Today)
A recent article failed to recognize the significant accomplishments
the Space Launch System (SLS) is making in what are less than ideal
conditions for such a complex development program. The actual work by
NASA and industry is progressing in spite of the pressure of
expectations and abnormal budget realities.

This was demonstrated recently in a very successful SLS preliminary
design review, showing this team has learned to operate in this
difficult budget environment. SLS is delivering ahead of schedule
within available funding, incorporating existing main engines from the
shuttle program. The five segment boosters have had virtually perfect
ground tests. The new core stage is ahead of schedule. Tooling and
manufacturing is in place at Michoud.

The major risk to program cost and schedule is the lack of stable
budgets. The dedicated people at NASA and in industry should be
applauded and supported for the progress they are making in these
difficult times. Their success will lead to incredible discoveries in
human exploration of our solar system. (9/6)

Musk Using Leap Motion
For Rocket Design (Source: MIT Technology Review)
That the SpaceX CEO used the Leap to help create a rocket part suggests
the unwieldy gesture controller could be useful one day. Though I was
frustrated just trying to get the Leap Motion 3-D gesture controller to
work well with video games, Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is
experimenting with a much more complicated use for the device:
designing rocket parts.

In a video released Thursday afternoon and narrated by Musk, employees
of rocket maker SpaceX are shown using a Leap Motion device to
manipulate a virtual rocket engine model, viewing it on several
different display technologies, including an Oculus Rift virtual
reality headset. The video also shows someone apparently designing a
rocket’s cryogenic valve housing, with Musk’s voiceover saying, “You
can really apply your intuition and take something from your mind to a
physical object with far greater ease than we currently do.”

The video then shows the part being printed by a 3-D laser metal
printer. Though we probably won’t be using gesture-control systems to
design many rockets (real or toy) in the near future, the video does
give a neat sneak peek at what may eventually be possible as the
technology evolves. Click here.
(9/6)

Russian Cosmonaut Bails
Out of Upcoming Spaceflight (Source: RIA Novosti)
An experienced Russian spaceman set to fly to the International Space
Station (ISS) in 2015 suddenly tendered his resignation for unclear
reasons, a Russian space industry representative said Thursday. Yury
Lonchakov will be formally discharged from his job on September 14,
Irina Rogova of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center told RIA Novosti.
Rogova's boss, Sergei Krikalev, was cited by Russian media as saying
that Lonchakov "found a more interesting job," but did not elaborate.
Rogova could not name Lonchakov's new job." (9/5)

Shortly after the HTV-4 departure, a NASA Flight Readiness Review (FRR)
cleared the two-stage Antares rocket and its Cygnus supply capsule
loaded with 1,540 lb. of ISS cargo for a Sep. 17 liftoff at 11:16 a.m.
EDT. Orbital will have through Sep. 29 to launch the mission, under its
current FAA licensing agreement, though it may have to adjust to any
changes in Orbital’s scheduled Sep. 6 launch of NASA’s LADEE mission as
well as a planned late September Russian ISS crew launch. (9/5)

Pressure Mounts on
Orbital with SpaceX Likely Unavailable for December Cargo Run
(Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp., which is preparing to send its Cygnus cargo
freighter to the international space station (ISS) for the first time
later this month, was put on notice Sept. 4 by a NASA official who said
the Dulles, Va., company could be needed for another cargo run as soon
as December because SpaceX — the agency’s other cargo-delivery
contractor — likely will not be ready to fly.

Orbital is slated to launch Cygnus Sept. 17 from the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility in Wallops
Island, Va. It will be Cygnus’ maiden flight and the sophomore effort
for its Antares carrier rocket, which flew successfully in its own demo
mission April 21. Orbital is slated to carry nonessential cargo to ISS
in order to prove the company is ready to begin service under the
eight-flight, $1.9 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract it
signed with NASA in 2008. (9/5)

Sierra Nevada's Hybrid
Rocket Tech Powers Virgin Spaceplane (Source: SNC)
Sierra Nevada Corp. congratulates Virgin Galactic on another successful
piloted test flight of SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and is proud to
announce that its hybrid rocket engines have once again powered the
suborbital vehicle. Today’s test at Mojave Air and Space Port marks the
second time SNC’s hybrid rocket technology has safely powered SS2 to
new flight test milestones. SNC’s hybrid rocket propulsion system is
the largest hybrid ever used for space vehicle propulsion and also
propelled SpaceShipOne to win the Ansari X Prize. (9/5)

Deep Impact Spacecraft is
Spinning Out of Control (Source: Nature)
NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft is in deep trouble. The craft, famous for
blasting a projectile into the Comet Tempel 1 in 2005, lost contact
with Earth sometime between 11-14 August. Recent commands to put the
craft in hibernation, or safe mode, were unsuccessful and Deep Impact
is now spinning out of control, says principal investigator Michael
A’Hearn of the University of Maryland. The mission was renamed Epoxi
when it was extended to observe comets and stars with transiting
exoplanets. (9/5)

Coldest Brown Dwarfs Blur
Star, Planet Lines (Source: JPL)
In 2011, astronomers on the hunt for the coldest star-like celestial
bodies discovered a new class of such objects using NASA's Wide-Field
Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescope. But until now, no one
knew exactly how cool the bodies' surfaces really are. In fact, some
evidence suggested they could be at room temperature.

A new study using data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows that
while these so-called brown dwarfs are indeed the coldest known
free-floating celestial bodies, they are warmer than previously
thought, with surface temperatures ranging from about 250 to 350
degrees Fahrenheit (125 to 175 degrees Celsius). By comparison, the sun
has a surface temperature of about 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit (5,730
degrees Celsius). (9/5)

Powerful Jets Blowing
Material Out of Galaxy (Source: NRAO)
Astronomers using a worldwide network of radio telescopes have found
strong evidence that a powerful jet of material propelled to nearly
light speed by a galaxy's central black hole is blowing massive amounts
of gas out of the galaxy. This process, they said, is limiting the
growth of the black hole and the rate of star formation in the galaxy,
and thus is a key to understanding how galaxies develop. (9/5)

'Boring' Higgs Has Powers
We Never Dreamed Of (Source: New Scientist)
Before they found the Higgs, particle physicists fretted about a
nightmare scenario. The particle might behave just as predicted by
their standard model, giving them no clues as to where to go next. For
a time after the discovery, the nightmare appeared to have come true.
Many physicists were left crossing their fingers that something novel
would turn up when the Large Hadron Collider switches on again in 2015.

Since then, the "boring" Higgs has proved quite interesting after all.
Theorists have shown how it could solve a very weird problem in
cosmology known as Boltzmann brains. Others have suggested that it
could reveal the nature of dark energy. The Higgs may not have quite
delivered the bonanza of insights that some had hoped for, but it is
still the stuff of dreams. (9/5)

Astronomers Discover a
Water-Rich Exoplanet (Source: Science Recorder)
A Japanese research team of astronomers and other planetary scientists
have used the Subaru Telescope to determine whether the surface of a
planet that scientists have deemed a “super Earth” is rich in hydrogen
or water. The telescope is equipped with two optical cameras,
Suprime-Cam and the Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph (FOCAS), with
a blue transmission filter that aided the scientists in their
investigation.

Super-Earth GJ 1214 b (Gilese 1214 b) did not present through the
filter with the appearance that would have indicated its richness in
hydrogen so after taking into consideration previous research, the
scientists concluded that the planet was most likely water-rich. (9/5)